Pennsylvania

Welcome to the East Coast Greenway in Pennsylvania

In Philadelphia, the East Coast Greenway uses Spring Garden Street to cross the city from the Delaware River to the Schuylkill River. Our partners at the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, have issued an RFP for a design to make this the most bike friendly street in the City of Philadelphia. Spring Garden Street will be a great addition to the East Coast Greenway and will connect the Art Museum and Schuylkill Banks to the Delaware waterfront. Funding is in place from DOT and DCNR for design work on Spring Garden Street. Look for new trail in Delaware County, coming soon and also the Delaware ad Lehigh canal.

The East Coast Greenway enters Morrisville, Pennsylvania from Trenton, New Jersey over the Calhoun Street Bridge. At this time, it follows PA Bike Route E for much of the 55-mile route, passing through lower Bucks County, Philadelphia and Delaware County, and then crossing into the State of Delaware near Marcus Hook.

Until more trail is built, the route through PA is primarily on road. Non-cyclists will enjoy the segments through Philadelphia thanks to ample sidewalks, but there are sidewalks throughout much of the rest of the route, as well. Bicyclists will experience a range of cycling conditions, all of it well marked with Bike Route E signage. Travelers pass through a series of small towns and neighborhoods on the northern end of the route before the Greenway goes directly through downtown Philadelphia, best known for its rich history, monuments of liberty, and, of course, the Philly Cheesesteak! The route then picks up on the Schuylkill River Trail for about 2 miles before continuing on Bike Route E south to Delaware, running straight through a refinery area that makes a unique, yet unexpectedly pleasant, travel experience.

On June 23rd, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) together with Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission convened a Regional Trails Summit. Two hundred people were in attendance at this all day event. The summit was very well presented, with national bicycle advocates, elected officials and regional experts taking part in discussion panels. After the summit, a fundraising bicycle ride across the east half of Pennsylvania netted over $33,000.

In Philadelphia and the nine-county surrounding region, there are significant efforts under way to link the regional trail system together. The East Coast Greenway factors prominently in this effort. The William Penn Foundation has devoted over $16,000,000 to be allocated specifically for the design and construction of trails of importance in the Philadelphia region that are on the Circuit. The Circuit is a system of 750 miles of trails that are implemented or planned in the Philadelphia metro region. Two of the most regionally important trail systems focused upon were the East Coast Greenway and the Schuylkill River Trail. At this time there is a request for funding, and our partner/host organizations are submitting letters of interest for funding portions of the East Coast Greenway in Pennsylvania. This is a great opportunity for the East Coast Greenway, and we thank our important and generous partners!

Trail Status & Plans

31% of the 67-mile permanent route through Pennsylvania is currently constructed, and another 61% is in development. There is only a third of a mile of gap area where we haven’t yet found greenway routing. A number of trail projects are currently in the planning and design stages, including:

Delaware Canal State Park Trail

K&T Rail Trail

Botanic Park Trail

Tinicum – Ft. Mifflin Trail

The Schuylkill Boardwalk

Cobbs Creek Trail

And many others.

The Delaware River City Corporation (DRCC) is creating the North Delaware Riverfront Greenway, a key eight-mile link in the ECG in Philadelphia. DRCC’s aim “is to transform much of the vacant, former industrial properties along the (Delaware) riverfront into a destination frontage that will bring new distinction and identity to the City and stimulate the economy and culture of the entire City. Transformation of the North Delaware Riverfront will help to truly make Philadelphia the new ‘River City.’”

Just to the south of the DRCC area is the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (DRWC) which is creating trails, parks, festivals and seasonal events along the central Philadelphia waterfront. Many great new parks including the Race Street Pier, and many others have been completed recently. They are also working o an exciting gateway project on Spring Garden Street.

The Delaware County Planning Department (DCPD) hired a team of consultants led by Ray Ott & Associates, that includes Campbell Thomas & Co., Arora & Associates, and Kleinfelder Inc. to assist Delaware County, the City of Chester, Eddystone Borough, Ridley Township, and the ECGA in the preparation of a feasibility study to determine the appropriate ECG routing through Ridley Township, Eddystone Borough, and Chester City. The routing will connect already planned portions in Tinicum Township with those under construction in Chester City at Rivertown.

In 2010, the federal Department of Transportation awarded $23 million in stimulus funding for trail construction projects in Philadelphia. Included in the funded projects are three key links in the East Coast Greenway: the Schuylkill Boardwalk, the 58th Street Connector, and the Delaware Avenue Trail from from Allegheny Avenue to Betsy Ross Bridge.

To learn more about the trail progress and activities in Pennsylvania, visit the PA Committee page.

Publications

ECG Maps and Cue Sheets
The ECG Trip Planner allows you to generate customized point-to-point cue sheets for your ECG trip, with accompanying maps and elevation profiles, or to export your route as a GPX file to load onto your Garmin or other GPS device. The ECG smartphone app (available for both iPhones and Android) makes on-the-route navigation easy.

Pennsylvania/Delaware Guide

The Pennsylvania/Delaware Guide contains an extensive list of the facilities available to muscle-powered tourists, including food, medical facilities, bike shops, points of interest, and more!